This delicious vegan pineapple upside down cake is moist, rich and topped with pineapple, cherries and caramelized brown sugar.
Vegan pineapple upside down cake is here! And I am thrilled about it.
It’s a gorgeous cake that can be made any time of year since you use canned pineapple, and it has a wonderfully rich flavor that almost tastes a bit like a little something something (ahem, I mean something boozy) has been added. But there isn’t any booze. Just delicious pineapple flavor.
Pineapple juice is added to the cake batter and you have brown sugar caramelizing on the top with those pineapple slices and cherries and the result is really spectacular.
How To Make Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
This cake is so easy! You don’t even need a mixer as there is no frosting.
You start off by melting some vegan butter and then pour that out onto the bottom of a 9 inch round cake pan (sprayed with non-stick spray).
Then you sprinkle on some brown sugar and then layer slices of pineapple along the bottom of the cake pan. I cut some slices in half and then put the half slices up the sides of the cake pan as well.
Place maraschino cherries everywhere you can find a gap.
The cake itself is a simple single layer vanilla cake. I adapted the recipe from our vegan vanilla cake.
That gets poured over the top of the pineapple slices and smoothed out and then you bake the cake for around 55 minutes.
Recipe Tips
Use canned pineapple slices. Not only is this easier, but you will get more consistent results. If you use fresh pineapple slices, they will tend to release more moisture during the baking process which can affect your outcome.
Also, when you use canned pineapple you can also just use the juice from the can in the cake batter, whereas if you use fresh pineapple you will need to buy pineapple juice separately.
Don’t use parchment paper to line the bottom of your cake pan, just spray the cake pan with non-stick spray. Parchment paper will interfere with your pineapple topping and trap some of the caramelized brown sugar. I tried it that way in one of my recipe tests and I don’t recommend it.
Cover the cake with foil after it has been baking for 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.
My 9 inch cake pans are quite deep so I only had to loosely cover the top with foil and didn’t need to ‘tent’ it with foil. If your cake pans are more shallow, then tent with foil so that the foil doesn’t touch the top of the cake and interfere with the baking.
Tenting just means to create a sort of tent shape over the top, instead of having the foil flat across the top of the cake pan.
Let it cool for around 10 minutes after it has come out of the oven and then do the flip.
Doing The Flip!
The flip can be the trickiest part of the entire cake making process!
Basically you want to put a plate or cake stand on top of the cake pan and then flip it so that you have your cake pan upside down on top of the plate or cake stand.
Leave it for a few seconds as you want all that brown sugar to drip down over your cake, and then remove the cake pan and there’s your pineapple upside down cake!
The part I found tricky is that in doing the flip, sometimes you fail to hold the two things (cake pan and plate or cake stand) in the same position while flipping. On one of my test versions I ended up with a cake that was not at all in the center of the plate but rather all the way over on one side of the plate!
And let me tell you, once you’ve done the flip that cake is NOT moving. Where it lands is where it’s gonna stay.
Hahaha, this cake does not co-operate when you try to move it. So take a breath, visualize the perfect flip in your mind and then go for it.
Make It Gluten-Free
If you want to make this cake gluten-free you can use our recipe for gluten-free vegan vanilla cupcakes for the 9 inch round single cake layer.
The only adjustment you would make to that recipe is to use ¾ cups (180ml) of non-dairy milk instead of 1 cup and add in ¼ cup (60ml) of pineapple juice.
Storing Tips
This cake is at it’s best when totally fresh and still warm from the oven! Serve it as is or with some vegan vanilla ice cream!
Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. You can cut a slice and warm it gently in the microwave if you prefer it warm, or just serve it cold. Consume within 3 days.
It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The best method is to wrap and freeze individual slices.
More Delicious Vegan Cake Recipes
- The Most Amazing Vegan Chocolate Cake
- Vegan Coffee Cake
- Vegan Lemon Cake
- Vegan Strawberry Cake
- Vegan Carrot Cake
- Vegan Victoria Sponge
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Pineapple Upside Down Cake
Ingredients
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter (56g) Melted
- ½ cup Light Brown Sugar (100g)
- 10-12 Slices Pineapple Canned
- 15-20 Maraschino Cherries
For the Cake:
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour (220g)
- 1 cup White Granulated Sugar (200g)
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¾ cup Soy Milk (180ml) or other non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup Pineapple Juice (60ml) reserved from the can or use fresh
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ⅓ cup Canola Oil (80ml) or other vegetable oil
- 1 Tbsp Distilled White Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
- Spray a 9-inch round cake pan with non-stick spray.
- Melt the vegan butter and then pour it out into the bottom of the cake pan and spread it around so it lines the bottom evenly.
- Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter and spread it around evenly.
- Then layer the pineapple slices along the bottom. Cut some slices in half and use those to go up along the sides (see our photo).
- Place maraschino cherries everywhere you find a gap.
- Set the prepared cake pan aside while you prepare your cake batter.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Sift the flour into a mixing bowl and add the white sugar, baking soda and salt and mix together.
- Then add in the soy milk, pineapple juice, vanilla, oil and vinegar and whisk together with a hand whisk until just combined.
- Pour out over the pineapple slices and smooth down with the back of a spoon.
- Place into the oven and bake for 55 minutes. Bring it out at the 30 minute mark and cover loosely with foil and return to the oven for another 25 minutes. The foil will prevent it from over-browning.
- It’s ready when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean (don’t push it too far down or you’ll hit the base and then the toothpick won’t come out clean even if it is ready).
- Let the cake cool for 10 minutes before inverting it onto a plate or cake stand.
- To flip it, place a plate or cake stand against the cake pan and then flip it so that the cake pan is upside down on top of the plate or cake stand. Let it sit for a few seconds for the caramelized brown sugar to run down over the sides of the cake, and then lift the cake pan off.
- Slice and enjoy.
Notes
- Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. You can cut a slice and warm it gently in the microwave if you prefer it warm, or just serve it cold. Consume within 3 days.
- It is also freezer friendly for up to 3 months. The best method is to wrap and freeze individual slices.
dara says
I am a long-time vegan baker (18 years), and I find this recipe to be fantastic! I appreciate that it contains everyday ingredients, and it baked through, no problem. My only issue is maybe not calling it vegan if it also says “white sugar.” Maybe “unbleached sugar” should be mentioned. But that’s just an issue with vegan baking in general. But the recipe is awesome!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Dara, so happy you like the recipe! We’re in South Africa and all sugar is vegan here. As a personal preference I like to leave it up to the individual to choose which sugar they want, and if someone is vegan they’re already aware of this, and if they’re not, then it’s not a needed thing for them to worry about. 🙂 Thanks for the awesome review and rating! 🙂
Gigi Wilson says
Wow. I gave this recipe a go yesterday. It was super fantastic. It tasted even better then the one I remember using non vegan ingredients. I followed the recipe exactly only using vanilla almond milk instead of soya. Thank you so much for your vegan site. I’m so looking forward to trying more of your recipes. My next one is your vegan stew. I’ll give it a try this week. Thanks again.
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear it was a success Gigi! Thanks so much for the wonderful review! 🙂
Kristi Sala says
My Bundt cakes came out great! Just make sure to generously grease the sides and middle of the pan (I used vegan butter). Bake for 36-38 minutes at 350. Let set for 10 minutes out of the oven then flip. So good and moist!
Alison Andrews says
Thanks for the tips! So glad it was a success! And thanks for the wonderful rating too. 🙂
Nhi Quach says
Hi Alison, is it also possible to use some kind of oil instead of the vegan butter? Thank you so much. I can’t wait to try out this recipe 🙂
Alison Andrews says
Hi there, it might be possible with coconut oil but I haven’t tried it. You can use a dairy free margarine or make your own homemade vegan butter. 🙂
Gabriella says
Hi, I have dark brown sugar at home as opposed to light. Do you think this will work ok ?
Alison Andrews says
Yes, this will be fine! 🙂
Em says
Hi! This looks incredible and I’m planning to make it this weekend. Do you think oat milk would be alright to use?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Em, it depends! Have you used this particular one in baking before? I know homemade oat milk has a tendency to clump when heated so I don’t know if it would be ideal in baking. But if it’s a store bought option it may be completely fine! Usually any non-dairy milk will work, but there can be certain things like homemade oat milk clumping or homemade cashew milk thickening when heated, that could possibly be less ideal. All the best! 🙂
Em says
I ended up making two of these in one weekend for various parties, and they both turned out AMAZING. I was obsessed with them!
Thank you so much!!
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that Em! 🙂
Myshea groves says
Made this for my mom for her birthday cause this is her all time favorite cake and she just recently went vegan! She absolutely loved it!
Alison Andrews says
So happy to hear that! Thanks for the awesome rating! 🙂
Kim says
I’m going to try and make this in a bundt pan…any advice?
Alison Andrews says
Hmmm, I’m not sure! Never tried this in a bundt pan, hope it goes well and keep us updated! 🙂
Kim says
So, it did not come out of the bundt pan willingly…but still tastes amazing ☺️
Alison Andrews says
Oh! Hahaha, so glad it tastes great! Thanks for updating us! 🙂
Rebecca Tabb says
Hi Alison! I am at about 6,500 ft and was wondering if I needed to make adjustments to the recipe for high altitude? Thanks so much! Super excited to try this recipe out.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Rebecca, I haven’t got any experience with high altitude baking, but this article will hopefully help. All the best! 🙂
Hamilton says
My first Pineapple Upsidedown cake! It was fabulous. And on this Father’s day it was part of a wonderful day. All loved it!
It flipped easily (I made 2 – that is recipe trust!) and held up wonderfully.
I appreciated the extra tips too.
I did use a 9″ pan but it really leaked over and I had to put a pan to catch the juices. Is that typical?
Thanks for a great recipe!
S.Ham
Alison Andrews says
So glad it worked out perfectly! Thanks so much for posting and the awesome review! About the juices leaking over – I didn’t have this happen, but my cake pans are pretty deep so I would assume that is why. It is normal for the juices to bubble up the sides, that is part of the beauty of this cake, but I imagine a deeper cake pan is great to use here, or doing like you did and putting something down to catch any overflow is the best thing to do. 🙂
Jeanell says
I used all the substitutions suggested in the notes. The cake was absolutely perfect. Thank you for sharing!
Alison Andrews says
Fantastic! Thanks so much for the awesome review! 🙂
Isabelle Payne says
Just made this again for the second time, my family are loving it! How to convert people to veganism!
Alison Andrews says
So glad everyone enjoyed it! Thanks for the wonderful review! xo
Kathy Evans says
I want to make this cake in 9×13 pan. It is all I have. Is there an adjustment for recipe. Thanks. Kathy.
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kathy, you could try use the recipe for our vegan vanilla sheet cake as the cake part of it, and then just increase the pineapple slices/cherries so that the base is properly covered. I’m not sure if the vegan butter/sugar mix might need to be increased as well, you’d have to play it by ear.
Kathy says
Can I use rice milk? …that’s all I have on hand. Thank you in advance
Alison Andrews says
Hi Kathy, that should be perfect! 🙂
Kathy says
Turned out amazing! My daughter said it was the best cake ever! Everyone loved it! Thank you
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! So happy to hear that! xo
Erin says
Any idea how long to bake if I make cupcakes? Our 5 year old twins saw pineapple upside down cake on Kids Baking Championship and really want to try it but we have egg and dairy allergies so we are so excited to find a vegan recipe!!
Alison Andrews says
Hi Erin! I am not sure of the baking time but it would be faster! I know that’s not a huge help, hahaha! I haven’t tested this as cupcakes so not entirely sure and because of the pineapple it would take a little longer than the average cupcake. I would probably check them at 30 minutes and then keep checking every 5 minutes thereafter. All the best and hope they come out great! 🙂